Harley-Davidson 2013

Harley-Davidson needs your help. The Motor Company will light 110 birthday candles next year and only a collective breath from its supporters will extinguish them all. Whether you purchase a limited-production anniversary model or a Hard Candy custom, partake in one of the various 110th celebration events, go for a ride with an Authorized Tour, or even fly to Rome to have your bike blessed by the Pope, there’s no lack of furor and it begins this month.
We recently spent five days with Harley-Davidson riding a legion of 2013 models from Bellingham, Washington to Whistler, BC, Canada sampling Dynas, Softails and Tourers along the route. And, oh, what a route it was! East from the coast across the Cascades, north through the Okanogan National Forest, into Canada, then west climbing the Canadian Cascades. The excursion was a truncated sample of Harley’s newest Authorized Tour of the Pacific Northwest.

From anti-chrome Dark Customs to sparkly bright metal-flake Hard Candy Customs, Harley-Davidson’s 2013 model line-up has a color option for everyone.

Why such an exhaustive trip for a press intro featuring nothing more than a warmed-over Street Bob? Because Harley’s anniversary emphasis is as much about riding as it is about the bikes we rode upon. But just because Harley’s 2013 line-up doesn’t include a new model (it does in CVO form, see the Softail Breakout here), let’s not dismiss the importance of the revised Bob, the limited-edition anniversary models, or the Hard Candy customs.
2013 Street Bob

Twenty-thirteen Chrome Yellow Deluxe Street Bob with optional pullback handlebars, chrome lace wheels and black and chrome 103 engine.

At $12,999 the Street Bob, in Vivid Black, is the most affordable Big Twin in Harley’s 2013 model lineup. What makes the Street Bob so reasonable is its stripped-down, no-frills construction – the perfect platform for customization which Harley recognized and therefore expanded its factory custom options in the company’s H-D1 Factory Customization program. Increased choices among paint options, wheels, foot controls, seats, handlebars and black or chrome 103 engines have been added to the Street Bob’s selections.
Building your own Street Bob at the H-D Bike Builder website saves time and money while creating a more personalized motorcycle. Harley brought a variety of Street Bob renditions along on our tour of the Pacific Northwest, and it took no time for me to realize that I not only preferred the optional forward controls over the stock mid-mount ones, I shunned any further rides on Street Bobs with mid-mounts after my first outing on one, as it’s too confining for a person of six-foot stature. I much preferred the combination of forward controls and drag bars, both of which are available as factory installed options for a $360 increase in MSRP.

Lucky Green Flake Street Bob with optional drag handlebars, forward controls, five spoke black wheels, two-up seat and black 103 engine.

The 2013 Street Bob also enjoys a stylistic makeover including the following changes:

• Round air cleaner cover with nostalgic Bar and Shield logo
• Blacked out triple clamps, powertrain, and battery box cover
• Full-length wrinkle-black cast console with integrated ignition switch
• Chopped rear fender with side-mounted license plate and stop/turn/tail lights
• Rubber isolated handlebar risers with forged top clamp

New paint options include a scalloped two-tone option or choose from three “Big Flake” options from Harley’s new Hard Candy Custom colors.